Meeting with Committee on Rehabilitation and Resettlement

Meeting with Committee on Rehabilitation and Resettlement
Meeting with Committee on Rehabilitation and Resettlement
“The completion of Polavaram is my ultimate life goal”, said Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, during a meeting with the Committee on Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R).
On Wednesday, he met with committee members Leena Nair and G. Latha Krishna Rao, who visited the Polavaram site in the last two days. They said that they were satisfied with the provisions for rehabilitation and the compensation for migrant villagers.
They visited all three villages and said that the R & R provided by the state government have good houses, and can accommodate all displaced persons.
The Chief Minister said that the reports on land acquisition, compensation and rehabilitation will be submitted to the Centre, along with the possibilities of a Godavari-Penna-Kaveri linking project.
The Centre was supposed to release funds faster, he said. “It is not good to delay the progress of this project, as there are already many obstacles, and forces that are trying to provoke migrant villagers. We need more cooperation from the Centre and we still have not received the promised special package”, he added.
“I spend 4 hours every week concentrating on the development of this project. I did not face these many obstacles when I developed an entire city (Cyberabad)”, he said.
He said that the government prioritises water management, because the success of the agriculture sector determines almost everything else in the state.
“The bifurcation of the state was an unjust and a sudden move. Without a capital city, our state was formed. Only with the Centre’s full support, can there be progress in the state”, said the Chief Minister at the meeting held in the Assembly.

AP desperate for Centre’s help

AP desperate for Centre’s help
THE HANS INDIA |    Nov 23,2017 , 03:06 AM IST       


Leena Nair, Secretary, Tribal Welfare and Chairperson, Committee on Rehabilitation and Resettlement, Polavaram, and other members meeting Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at his chamber in Assembly on Wednesday. Water Resources Minister Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao is also seen.

Leena Nair, Secretary, Tribal Welfare and Chairperson, Committee on Rehabilitation and Resettlement, Polavaram, and other members meeting Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at his chamber in Assembly on Wednesday. Water Resources Minister Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao is also seen.

Amaravati: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said the State government would get into trouble if the Union government did not extend full support to Polavaram irrigation project.

Naidu said the State government would complete the construction of project within two years if the Centre grants funds in time. He said Rs 54,000 crore was needed to complete the mega irrigation project in the world. Replying to a discussion on Polavaram project in the Assembly on Wednesday, the Chief Minister put all the information about the project before the House.

Though Chandrababu Naidu did not make any direct criticism on the Union government, he indirectly hinted that the Centre has been resorting to delaying tactics in release of funds. However, Naidu said the Centre has been responding quickly to the appeals of him.



Naidu said the total estimated cost of the project at 2010-11 was Rs 16,010.45 crore and the State government had spent Rs 7,431.35 crore up to October-end 2017. The balance amount to be given by Centre to AP was Rs 3,102.29 crore, he said.

The Chief Minister said as per revised estimates as on April 1, 2014, the project cost was augmented to Rs 58,319.06 crore. “We submitted the revised estimates to the Centre in this regard,” he said. The Union Cabinet of UPA government had approved (on May 1, 2014) to bear all further expenses on Polavaram project, he added.

Naidu also said the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced special assistance measure for funding Externally Aided Projects (EAPs) and Central funding of remaining cost of irrigation component of Polavaram project assessed as on April 1, 2014.

But the Union Cabinet on March 15, 2017 approved to provide 100 per cent of the remaining cost of the irrigation component only for a period starting from April 1, 2014, he said. 

Though the State government wants to speed up the works, Naidu said it would not be possible if the Centre fails to release funds in a timely manner. “I told the same to the Union government officials who visited the project recently. Polavaram cannot be built without the support of the Centre,” the Chief Minister said.

Naidu said works of spill channel and spillway were divided into parts and fresh tenders had been invited to speed up the works. The tenders would be finalised in second week of December, he said. The Chief Minister also said the coffer dam works had been initiated on Wednesday and the government was considering entrusting main dam works to a special contractor.

He criticised the Congress and YSR Congress party for creating hurdles. “Instead of criticising the government, the Congress should have completed the project during its tenure,” he said. Naidu made it clear that the project works were going on in a transparent manner and appealed to all parties to cooperate with the government to get funds from the Centre.